10 Criminally Underrated Thrash Metal Albums Of All Time

2. Dark Angel - Leave Scars

It's a testament to how underrated Dark Angel were overall that their most successful album cracks this list. The cult heroes were once heralded as 'The LA Caffeine Machine' on account of their superlative musical intensity.

'Leave Scars' finds the Californian ear-wreckers at their extreme and unpredictable best. Learning from the limitations of previous LPs 'We Have Arrived' and 'Darkness Descends', the band embraced a more prog metal-friendly vibe here. The result is an even more chaotic, but notably more technical sound that works like a charm.

Several of the tracks here cross the five minute mark, allowing more breathing room for Jim Durkin's maddened guitar shredding. Better yet, much of the LP provides a rock solid early days showcase for drumming legend Gene Hoglan.

The lyrics, while viciously unsubtle and tastelessly violent, note a considerable step up in quality from prior releases as well. It's a thrilling entry in thrash metal's history that has grown increasingly overlooked in the years since. Following the departure of Durkin, the group attempted to move further into this expansive style with 'Time Does Not Heal'. While that proved to be a respectable entry in their discography, it did not reach the highs of this 1989 classic.